THE USE OF A ROTAVATOR EQUIPEMENT AS A NEW SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICE IN CHESTNUT ORCHARDS: EFFECT ON VEGETATION CONTROL,
ORGANIC RESIDUES PROCESSING AND SOIL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Fernando Santos (1); Afonso Martins (2); Olga Borges (3); Isabel Linhares (2)
(1) Department of Agricultural Engineering. Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD). 5000-911. Vila Real. Portugal.
(2) Soil Department. Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD). 5000-911. Vila Real. Portugal.
(3) Trás-os-Montes Agricultural Department Management, Quinta do Valongo, Mirandela, Portugal
Introduction
Chestnut orchards have a high economic and ecology importance in the rural environment of Northern Portugal. Previous studies have shown the need of new
management practices in those agro-ecosystems in order to improve its productivity and sustainability and one of the envisaged techniques is the use of new equipment
which destroys the vegetation under canopy and crushes the organic residues without disturbing the soil.
Material and methods
The equipments used in the present study, as alternative to the traditional tillage, have 1.3 m work width and allows a partial incorporation of leaves and burs in the soil and
the weeds control. Supported by a new project the equipment (NTR) have been used and compared with the traditional tillage (TTC), the use of irrigated seeded pasture
(ISP), unirrigated seeded pasture (USP) and the maintenance of natural vegetation cover (NTV), undercanopy. The obtained results related to the equipment operation,
and the effects on the vegetation, on the residues processing and on the physical properties of the soil, are reported.
The methodology used in the trials consists of different tractors velocity, and standard equipment regime, which enables breaking in different sizes the vegetal ground
surface material, especially the leaves and burs and, simultaneously the shallow mobilization of the soil, allowing the partial incorporation of that material. Smaller is the
size of this material faster is its transformation into organic matter and less intense is its removing by wind of the soil surface.
Based on the trial results we selected the best compromise between the high work rate, which comes closer to the work rate of the tine cultivator, and the small size of the
crushed material (leafs, burs and weeds), which improves its transformation into organic matter.
Destroying the leaves, burs, twigs and vegetation keeping them at the soil surface (NTR treatment)
,
The first used equipment
The new used equipment
Results - leaves fragmentation
Dimensional charactherization of the whole (Int) and crush leaves ( (Tri), according different tractor speed .
Leaves
Whole vs Crushed
Whole
Crushed
Crushed
Crushed
Whole leaves
Speed
(km/h)
0,00
1,12
2,08
3,68
Area
(mm2)
4845,50
1916,01
2292,99
2417,02
Perimeter
(mm)
402,65
333,05
339,96
330,49
Major lenght
(mm)
139,97
95,80
92,73
92,27
Minor lenght
(mm)
52,34
38,66
45,28
44,43
Crushed leaves
Results - soil compaction
Lowest resitance at surface on TTC plots but after 10 cm it increases to similar values than the
other treatments.
Higher values on NTR plots, which may be ascribed to the compaction caused by the
equipment.
No tillage plots shows the lower values on deep layers.
Conclusions
Considering that increasing the tractor's velocity, keeping the regime equipment, from 1.12 to
2
3.58 km/h, the leaf's area increases from 1916.01 to 2417.02 mm , why the highest
recommended equipment's velocity is 2.0 km/h, which corresponds to 3.79 h/ha work rate, near
half of the work rate of the tine cultivator (1.92 h/ha)
The average area of the whole leafs is 4845.50 mm2. New tests are being carried out with this
equipment and with similar ones trying to find the best solution for this kind of agricultural
operation.
Conclusions (cont)
Related to the effects on soil physical properties, soil compaction was measured with Eijkelkamp Penetrologger device, making 30 measures in the soil under the canopy
of each tree, on 3 trees by treatment. The obtained results showed a higher compacity on soil surface of NTR plots, which rise the need of new studies and the choice of a
new equipment in order to avoid this risk which can be unfavourable to maintenance of adequate physical conditions..
Bibliography
Mantas, A. (1994). A cultura do castanheiro emTrás-os-Montes. Vida Rural 1593: 13-15
Saraiva, I. (1994). Optimismo edafo-climático no castanheiro e amendoeira. Vida Rural Janeiro:42-44
Portela, E.; Martins, A.; Pires, A. (1998). Práticas culturais de limitação da tinta do castanheiro. Vida Rural 1643: 35-42
Portela, E.; Martins, A. (1999). Práticas culturais de limitação da tinta do castanheiro. Vida Rural 1644: 29-39
Bonin, M. (2001). Définition et identification d’ objects sur le image à haute resolution spatiale. Ingénieries 27: 37-44
Fontán, Ó. (2001). Situación actual y perpectivas del cultivo del catano en la UE. Vida Rural 125: 26-27